Unemployment insurance isn't a single national program with one set of numbers — every state runs its own system, sets its own maximum weekly benefit, and decides its own maximum duration, which is why the exact same job loss can pay dramatically different amounts depending on where you live. * Duration is the more standardized piece: most states cap regular unemployment benefits at 26 weeks. But there's real variation at both ends — a handful of states, including Arkansas and North Carolina, cap benefits at just 12 weeks, while Massachusetts allows up to 30 weeks. * The dollar amount varies far more dramatically than the duration does. Washington currently pays the highest maximum weekly benefit in the country for a worker without dependents, at $1,152 a week. States like Rhode Island ($931), Minnesota ($914), and New Jersey ($905) also pay well above the national middle. At the other end, Mississippi caps its maximum weekly benefit at just $235 — roughly a fifth of Washington's maximum. * None of these are flat rates everyone receives, though. Your actual weekly benefit amount is calculated from your own wages during a specific "base period" before you lost your job, generally replacing some percentage of your prior earnings up to your state's maximum cap. Some states, including Massachusetts, add extra dependency allowances on top for workers supporting children, which is part of why Massachusetts's effective maximum can run even higher than its base number suggests. * Because eligibility rules, waiting periods, and exact calculation formulas differ by state as much as the dollar amounts do, filing directly through your specific state's unemployment agency is the only way to get an accurate number for your situation.